By Alex Gilyadov

BioWare will focus on delivering an engaging story, world, and characters in Anthem, particularly following the failings of Mass Effect: Andromeda and its lack of story DLC.

In a recent blog post, the studio’s general manager Casey Hudson discussed how BioWare will learn from the mistakes it has made with the last Mass Effect title. Hudson touched on how the developer failed to deliver a story DLC about the unresolved plot of the missing Quarian Ark, saying this is something the studio needs to avoid moving forward.

“As you know, we were not able to deliver story DLC for Andromeda—this was as frustrating for us as it was for players, and it was something we knew we had to solve in future games,” Hudson said.

The general manager also acknowledged BioWare needed to spent more time on the story elements in Andromeda, which is why the developer is refocusing its efforts on creating a rich story and world in Anthem.

“We need to delight players with new experiences and innovation, but we must stay focused on the importance of the world, character, and storytelling elements that players expect from our games,” Hudson wrote in his blog. “And our games must be designed to continue delivering new stories and experiences, in an ongoing relationship with players in the worlds we’re evolving together.”

Anthem, first announced at E3 2017, is an open-world role-playing game with a seemingly heavy focus on online play. It was originally set to launch sometime this year on PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One, but got delayed to 2019.

With the extra time and refocus, Hudson promises Anthem will live up to expectations. “It will be unlike anything you’ve played, but if we do it right, it will feel very distinctly BioWare,” Hudson wrote.

Hudson will continue updating fans on the game’s progress via the blog. IGN also catalogued some of the things we’ve learned so far about Anthem in 2018.

Alex Gilyadov is a freelance writer for IGN. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel and follow him on Twitter.